Fallen
by mixtapes
Summary: After Shane makes a mistake that costs him Mitchie's trust, respect, and love, he must find a way to prove to her that he's worth a second chance. ShaneMitchie.
1. Prologue: Gone

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**Note**: Hello loves! It's certainly been a while, I'm sorry for the unexpected hiatus. Life just got in the way. But lately I've been struck with inspiration, so I have a lot of ideas that'll hopefully get written and posted soon. I'm a trying a new full length story that'll hopefully be finished. It won't be that long, though. I wouldn't count on more than a few chapters.

Lyrics in this prologue are from the Paramore song, My Heart.

Here's the prologue, enjoy!

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_I __am finding out that maybe I was wrong,  
That I've fallen down and I can't do this alone._

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The pounding was deafening, angry, and insistent. The sound carried itself toward the sleeping figure in the bedroom, who stirred and groggily awoke. He made his way to the front door, disoriented and anxious, and threw it open. The person on the other side looked distraught as he repeatedly ran a hand through his hair, his eyes widening as soon as the door opened.

"What the hell, man?" Nate Black said to his bandmate, unable to muster up any other words. It must have been around four in the morning, and his friend looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

But Shane Gray only shook his head urgently, paying no attention to anything else as he stepped inside, his face a mere few inches from Nate's face. "Where is she, Nate. Do you know where she is." He looked so exhausted, so beside himself that he couldn't even form a question.

"That's what I was going to yell at you about in the morning," Nate retorted angrily. Once his surprise had evaporated, he had remembered that he probably owed Shane a punch in the face. "She's gone. And don't you dare even try and go looking for her."

"How can you tell me that?" Shane demanded, frustrated beyond belief. "I love her, and you know—"

"Don't even say that, god dammit. If you really loved her, you wouldn't have done what you did." Nate was so furious, he was shaking. "Don't even go near her anymore."

"Nate, you don't even understand—"

But the usually patient Nate was sick and tired of excusing Shane's problems. "No. If you had seen her—if you had seen the sorrow in her expression, or the bruises she now has, or the tears in her eyes—you wouldn't want yourself anywhere near her, either."

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_I am nothing now and it's been so long  
Since I've heard the sound, the sound of my only hope.  
This time I will be listening._


	2. After the Fall

**Sorry about the long wait! Junior year has been insane, really. And yes, it's still Cadence, I just changed my penname. I used to be Vrai Amour. It might change again, so just watch out for it just in case. ;) **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the prologue, and all the people who added this story and/or me to their alerts and favorites. I hate to be a review whore, but I do like feedback when I write, so please review, okay? The more reviews I get, the better my writing can be and the more often I'll update. **

**Lyrics from this chapter are from the Metro Station song, After the Fall, which is also the song in the playlist. I suggest listening to it as you read along. **

**Playlist: After the Fall (Metro Station) **

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_Should we give up or save it? _

_Will this make sense at all, after the fall? _

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She fiddled with the phone cord, counting slowly to ten in her head. Outside, the angry rain beat against the window, and she glanced outside, taking in the dark and gloomy night sky. God, she hated the rain. She hated everything about this entire day. All she wanted to do was go to sleep and maybe, just maybe, never wake up.

One phone call and she was free, she reminded herself. One phone call and she could go to sleep. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but unlike the majority of the people in her life, Mitchie Torres liked to keep her promises.

She picked up the phone, dialing the familiar number and waiting until a familiar groggy voice answered after the second ring.

"It's me," she said quietly, playing with her bangs. Although she tried to focus on the something else—anything else—she kept thinking about what had happened just short of twenty four hours ago.

"Mitchie," the person on the other end said, his voice saturated with relief. She heard him exhale deeply, and then he continued, "So, you're okay?" There was an awkward pause. Mitchie couldn't bring herself to answer. Her hand slowly dropped from her hair and she directed her gaze toward the window again, concentrating on the steady beat of the falling rain.

"Sorry," Nate apologized quickly, and she imagined him running a hand through his hair, embarrassed. "Bad choice of words. What I meant was…well…you got there safely, right? You're…you don't need help? Where are you, Mitch?"

She was so used to telling everyone she was fine, just fine, even when she wasn't. She wanted to be strong, to be a fighter—to be someone who couldn't get hurt so easily, someone who could stand up for herself and who didn't need anyone else. But the fact that she needed Shane Gray like she needed air was something that she had been forced to accept, like it or not, a long time ago. And getting over him just wasn't that easy.

"I'm going to be fine," she replied instead, trying to sound convinced. "I'm at a hotel right now, it's not too far from town. I'm just going to stay for a night, and then tomorrow I'm going back to Texas. I have enough money for a plane ride back, and…it's all going to be fine. But I couldn't stay there anymore, Nate. I couldn't. I don't belong in California." _I don't belong with Shane_, she added silently inside her head.

"Mitchie…" He hesitated for a full minute, which unnerved her slightly because hesitation was not usually a habit of Nate's. "Mitchie, listen. Shane's going crazy. He came here, to my place, earlier this morning. He's…a wreck, Mitch. He doesn't even know that you're okay. I don't exactly know what went down between you, and I know sometimes he can be a real asshole, but…I've also known him for most of my life, and I know he's a good guy. And he loves you."

She bit her lip, and even though she let a few minutes pass before she spoke again, her voice still trembled. "I can't. It was hard enough before, trying to keep our relationship secret from the rest of the world. And it only got harder, when everyone _did_ find out, with all the hate mail and the jealous fans, and how no one seemed to think I was good enough for Shane. And not to mention all the other problems we had. Last night was the last straw. I'm not coming back there, Nate. Please don't ask that of me."

"He's going to do everything in his power to find you, Mitchie. Texas is the next place he'll look. He's going to fly down there to your parents' place, don't think he won't."

"I know that. Just…just don't tell him where I am, okay? I don't want to see him. Promise me you won't let him know where I am." When he didn't answer, she persisted, "Nate?"

A sigh, and then, "I promise."

She hung up the phone, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Silently, she covered her face with her hand as the tears began to fall. It wasn't long before the racking sobs shook her frail body, and she was forced to lie down and try to be as quiet as she could so as not to wake up the other hotel guests next door.

And the worst part of all of it? After all he had done, she still missed him more than she could say.

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_I miss you,_

_Is it still okay to say it? _

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**So there you go, Nate doesn't really know what went down either, so you guys aren't the only ones in the dark, hm? ;) **

**The chapters will get longer eventually, don't worry. **

**REVIEW. **


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